Help advice needed about loose skin

[I cant wait to be slim]

I was talking to a couple of the mum's at school this morning and one said that when you loose weight fast like the cd diet, you are left with loads of hanging skin. As one of her friends have done a quick weight loss diet and she has got loads of hanging skin and has had to have a tummy tuck. She has lost loads of weight.
I will be going swimming and to the gym whilst doing the cd diet. Could anyone tell me if this is true please. xxx

 

[Deb G]

Depends on lots of factors. BY the looks of it, you're losing about the same weight as me in total, and I am fine. I have lost four and a half stone in 15 weeks, and will be losing another stone in total. I'm 34, never smoked and I drink 5 litres of water a day. I moisturise all over every other day.

I have NO saggy skin at all. Its all shrunk back. If I hold my tummy in and bend over (!) there are a few belly wrinkles, but they are firm - they don't hang. They say it can take up to a year to shrink back completely, so even if you are a bit saggy or wrinkly to start, you should be pretty much sorted by your wedding day!

 

[Eileen]

Im 46 & lost 5 stone last year, only thing i found was it took my skin a few weeks too catch up with the loss.

 

[Russiandoll]

It depends on several factors. How much you have to lose, how long you've been overweight, how old you are, whether you've had kids and genetic factors.

There IS a risk of loose skin - but that's true of any diet. I lost 6st on Rosemary Conley at the precribed 1 or 2lb per week and STILL had loose skin - but I'm older, have had several kids (so my skin had been stretched already) and had been overweight for many years.

If skin is going to ping back, it takes time and won't do it at the speed you lose it on a VLCD - the answer there is TIME. It can take a while for the skin to gently pull back into line after rapid weight loss.

Swimming and exercise is great generally but won't make any difference to the actual skin - just the muscle underneath.
At the end of the day though, it's better to have a bit of loose skin (which is easier to hide under clothes) than to compromise our health by being overweight.

 

[KD]

Great post RD. With you on this. Lose loads of weight regardless of diet and there's a chance you'll have saggy skin.

But you may not! It's much more dependant on your genes, age, history. I've lost 8 stone with Cambridge. Been overweight most of my life. 6 pregnancies and yet I have hardly any excess skin

Just lucky I guess.

 

[SoonToBeGorgeous]

This was sent into my mailbox and I thought I would share it as it makes a lot of sense -


One common concern regarding weight loss, especially
losing a large amount in a short amount of time as you
can with Cambridge, is excess skin.

Most people have heard that if you lose the weight
fast you will be left with a saggy tummy or "batwing"
arms. With the large number of people who have had
gastric surgery in the past few years, plastic surgeons
are being buried alive in patients who need body lifts or
various parts tucked and tightened. The rapid weight loss
is blamed.

This is false. It doesn't matter in the least how fast or
slow you lose your weight as far as redundant skin is
concerned. The damage to your skin that causes this problem
was done long before the weight loss occurred. It is due to
the excess weight that your skin was required to accommodate.

Skin is elastic...to a point. It has an amazing ability to
stretch and that can be seen in something as simple as a
pregnant belly and as extreme as a 1,000 pound man.

Unfortunately, it can stretch, but not fully recover
from such a demand; and like a balloon that has been
inflated for a period of time, it can never return to
its original size and shape. It wouldn't matter if you
deflated that balloon in 5 seconds or 5 days, it will
still be stretched out.

The damage has already been done.

Gastric bypass patients have the added disadvantage of
losing their weight through malnutrition and malabsorption.
Because of this, they are denying their body what is needed
for normal repair and rebuilding so their post weight loss
results can be very disturbing.

Large amounts of connective tissue as well as muscle and even
some bone is lost with the effects of surgery and that shows in
their final result. Cambridge users however, will enjoy all the
benefits of complete balanced nutrition so their bodies are being
supported in their efforts to restore and rebuild.

Good muscle tone, vibrant complexions and clear bright eyes are
what they see in the mirror. Of course, there is still the
possibility of redundant skin that may need correction if you
choose, but not anywhere near to the extent as Weight Loss Surgery
(WLS) patients encounter.

So what is the truth about saggy skin? Lose the weight fast or
slow, your excess skin condition is already established. You
can improve your odds though by giving your body all it needs
and you can find that in Cambridge

 

[BlackRose]

Well done on your loss so far. A couple of tips i've read is daily gentle exfoliating, A success story in the Lighter Life mag had regular fluid draining treatments to combat excess skin - she lost near 8st in 7 months and looks fantastic.

 

[I cant wait to be slim]

Hi, Thankyou so much for all your advice. You have all been really helpful. I really cannot wait to loose my weight, I just want to be thin for my wedding day and as my new life starts as a mrs I will be happy in my life and health. Hopefully I will keep the weight off all I can do is try.
Well done to all you, you have all done great with your weight losses. It really is helping me stick to my diet ( even though it is just a few days into it ) reading all your great results. You are all an inspiration. xxxxxx

 

[SoonToBeGorgeous]

The best thing to do is to use lots of moisturiser -

I use both a body-firming lotion from Nivea and BioOil

I also do basic pilates with bands and I swim - to help to tone as I go

So far I have no problems at all

You will get that weight off for your Wedding and look gorgeous - don't worry about that.

The skin does tend to plump up a bit once you go onto maintenance anyway, to do with the body rehydrating itself.

Focus on the weight loss and the rest will fall into place.

 

[Lily]

This question gets asks so often it really ought to be a sticky thread...

It's a real 'your mileage may vary question'. I've lost nearly 4 stones and so far am really pleased with the way I'm shrinking down. I'm 38 by the way. But as others have said, there are dozens of factors and no single answer. Good genes help, so I think, does sufficient water intake to keep your skin flushed through and hydrated.

Definitely not something to worry about. At nearly 18 stones I would've looked hideous in a bikini. At 10 stones (1 day soon I hope) I may still look hideous in a bikini. But I'll look okay in a swimsuit... and my heart is going to love me so much more!

 

[Sola]

Stretch Marks

I hear Bio oil is another product for stretch marks. I've tried it on my face to get rid of scars from pimples and it seems to be doing the job. I moisturize my whole body with it as well, I don't know if this helps anyone. You can get it from a pharmacy, I got mine from Costco.